Wire-knotting machine.



No. 854,354. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

E. A. HOBFER. v WIRE KNOTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 27, 1905.

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No. 854,354. I I PATENTED MAY- 21,1901.

E. AJHQBFER. WIRE KNOTTING-MAGHINE.

APPLIOATIOI FILED HOV. 27,1905.

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D Ra /anion y /iwwmze JMJEM No. 854,354. PATENTBI) MAY 21, 1907.

E. A. HOBPER. WIRE KNOTTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONFILED NOV. 27,1905.

. 4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

. No. 854,354. v PATENTED MAY 21,1907;

BLA. HOEFER.

' WIRE KNOTTING MACHINE.

APPLIQATIOI FILED NOV. 27, 1905.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL A. HOEFER, or rREEroR'IfILLINoIs, ASSIGNOR TO I-IOEFER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

WlRE-KNOTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented. May 21, 1907.

To aZZ whom it TIMI/y concern:

' Be it known that I, EMIL A. I-IOEFER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson-and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Machines for Knotting Wire, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates specifically to a machine for knotting the free ends of coiled springs about their adjacent coils and it consists of the new and useful features of construction and combinations of parts, embodied in the hereindescribed machine, which are hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of a machine, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section, at the dotted line 3-3, in Fig. 1, of parts there shown, with other parts in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a part shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a section, at the dotted line 5-5, in Fig. 1, of parts there shown, with other parts in eleva- Figs. 6 and 7 are horizontal sectional details of parts of the machine serving to illustrate its mode of operation. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the lower clamping-j aw of the machine. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 10 is a view showing one end of a coiled spring knotted to its adjacent e01 Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A is the main frame of the machine and is provided with shaft-bearings A A A A B is a shaft mounted in the bearings A A in the frame A.

B is a cam for operating a part to be described. hereinafter and is fast to theshaft B.

B is a cam-plate eccentrically mounted fast on the shaft B and having an oval camgroove B formed in the outer face thereof. The part B will be hereinafter referred. to, for brevity, as the platen-actuating cam.

O is a clampingjaw and. platen support, which is preferably in the form of a bellcrank pivotally mounted, by the free end of one arm 0 to a bearing C on the frame A, and having the free end of its remaining arm 0 provided with a transversely-mounted roller or other stud C projecting therefrom into engagement with the groove B in the platen-actuating cam B B is a spring-supporting platen and is preferably integral with its support C.

D is a lower clamping-j aw having a curved groove D formed in the upper face thereof and mounted fast on the horizontal arm C of the support O.

D D are pins, seated in vertical sockets in the jaw D and serving as gages for maintain ing the two coils of wire, as a (1 being knot ted together, at predetermined distances from each other.

E is an upper, clamping-jaw, pivoted by its rear end on a bearing E 011 the arm C of the support C and adapted to cooperate with the jaw D to firmly grip two coils of wire a a while the former is being knotted about the latter.

F is a circular stud, rotatably and eccentrically mounted, by means of a portion F thereof of diminished diameter, in a correspending bearing in the frame A and serving to maintain the latter firmly closed upon the coils of wire to be knotted together. By turning the eccentrically mounted stud F in its bearing F it may be adapted to contact and maintain the jaw E closed upon wires of any desired diameter, within the limits of the machine.

G is a sector-gear mounted fast on the shaft B.

H is a shaft mounted in the bearings A A in the frame A.

H is a collar mounted fast on the shaft H and having a detent-notch H in the periphery thereof.

H is a detent-lever pivotally mounted, between its ends, on a bearing H and provided with a detent H adapted to engage the notch H in the collar H and thereby prevent the rotation of the shaft H at predetermined times, and having a lug H thereon projecting downwardly into engage- .ment with the periphery of the cam B on the shaft B.

1, Fig. 5, is a gear-wheel, mounted fast on. the shaft H and adapted to mesh with and be driven by the toothed portion of the sector-gear G.

J is a knotter-pinion, having a conical recess J Figs. 6 and 7, in its outer end, a

radial recess J in its inner end, and a radial slot J therein connecting such conical and radial recesses J J and rotatably mounted in bearings J 4 J in the frame A.

K, Fig. 6, is a gage-stop for the free end of a coil (1, of a spring P, to be knotted about a coil (1 thereof.

L is a driving-pulley, having a plurality of transverse sockets L in the inner end of the hub L thereof and mounted loose on the shaft B.

M, Fig. 4, is a clutch-body mounted fast on the shaft B.

M is a longitudinally-slidable spring-actuated detent, housed in the clutch-body M, adapted to engage with and be disengaged from the sockets L in the hub L of the pulley L, and provided with a cam-head M Fig. 1, fast to the outer end of such detent.

N is a rock-shaft mounted in bearings in the frame A.

hl is an arm fast, by one end, to the outer end of the rock-shaft N and having its freeend portion engaging the cam-head M of the detent M, through the action of the spring N and thereby normally maintaining such detent M out of engagement with the loose pulley L.

N is a foot-lever pivoted, by one end and at N, to the frame A, and having its free end pivotally connected, by means of the rod N, to the middle portion of the arm I In Fig. 1 the detent M is held out of en gagement with the loose pulley L by the action of the spring I 2 upon the arm N 0 0 Fig. 2, are-pins rigid with the parts C and E respectively.

0 is a tension spring maintaining the upper jaw E out of engagement with the lower jaw D and in contact with the eccentrically mounted stud F.

The detent H Fig. 3, is maintained in engagement with the notch H in the collar H on the shaft H, and the latter, with its gearwheel I is thereby prevented from rotating while the platen B is traveling from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7. Simultaneously with the completion of the inward movement of the platen, the lugH on the lever H will have passed onto the cutaway portion of the cam B and the detent H will have disengaged from the collar H thereby leaving its shaft H free to be rotated to turn the gear-wheel I to drive the knotterpinion J Simultaneously with the completion of the knotting operation of the pinion J, the lug H will have passed from the cutaway to the wider portion of the cam B thereby again causing the detent H to lock the shaft H while the platen is traveling from the position shown in Fig. 7 back to that shown in Fig. 6.

Supposing the pulley L to be running loosely on the shaft B, and the two lower coils of a spring P to be resting on the platen B and lower jaw D, in the positions shown in Fig. 6, the operation of the machine, if the foot-lever N be depressed until the detent M engages one of the sockets L in the hub L will be as follows: The shaft B, Fig. 2, will be rotated and turn the part b, on the platen-actuating cam B from contact with the stud-roller C to the position it is shown as occupying in Fig. 2, thereby advancing the platen and spring inward, from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7 with the result that the free-end portion a of the spring will have been bent at right angles to its coils a a), by the action of the bottom of the radial recess J in the knotter-pinion J. Immediately thereafter the teeth of the sector-pinion G will engage and turn the gearwheel I one revolution, and the latter will turn the knotter pinion J two revolutions and thereby wrap and knot the free-end portion a of the coil a about the coil a producing the finished structure shown in Fig. 10. During the knotting operation just described, the part b, on the cam B will have traveled from the position shown in Fig. 2, to that indicated by 6 and the platen B will have remained motionless. The cam B will then continue to rotate until the point I) thereon is again in contact with the roller-stud C, the platen will then assume the position shown in Fig. 6 and the clamping-jaws of the machine will be opened to release the spring.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a supportingframe, a shaft mounted therein, a cam-plate eccentrically mounted fast on the shaft and having an oval cam groove in the outer face thereof, a clamping-jaw and platen support, with its platen, preferably in the form of a bell-crank and pivotally mounted, by the free end of one arm, to a bearing on the frame, and having the free end ofits remaining arm provided with a transversely-mounted stud projecting therefrom into engagement with the oval groove in the cam-plate, a lower clamping-j aw mounted fast on the platen-support, and an upper clamping-j aw, pivoted on the platen-support and adapted to cooperate with the lower jaw, substantially as described.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a supporting-frame, a shaft mounted therein, a cam-plate eccentrically mounted fast on the shaft and having an oval cam-groove in the outer face thereof, a clamping-jaw and platen support, with its platen, preferably in the form of a bell-crank and pivotally mounted, by the free end of one arm, to a bearing on the frame, and having the free end of its remaining arm provided with a transversely-mounted stud projecting therefrom into engagement with the oval groove in the cam-plate, a lower clampingjaw mounted fast on the platen-support, an upper clamping-jaw, pivoted on the platensupport and adapted to cooperate with the lower jaw, a knotter-pinion, having a conical recess in its outer end, a radial recess in its inner end, a radial slot therein, connecting the conical and radial recesses, and rotatably mounted inbearings in the frame, a sectorgear mounted fast on the cam-plate shaft, a gear Wheel located. between and meshing with both the knotter-pinion and sector-gear, and ashaft carrying said sectorgear, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a supporting-frame, a shaft mounted therein, a cam-plate eccentrically mounted. fast on the shaft and having an oval cam-groove in the outer face thereof, a

clamping-jaw and platen support, with itsplaten, preferably in the form of a bell-crank and pivotally mounted, by the free end of one arm, to a bearing on the frame, and hav ing the free end of its remaining arm provided with a transversely-mountsd stud. projecting therefrom into engagement with the oval groove in the cam-plate, a lower clamping-j aw mounted fast on the platen-support,

an upper clamping-jaw, pivoted. on the platen-support and adapted to cooperate with the lower jaw, a rotatably and eccentrically mounted stud, adapted to contact and close the upper clamping-j aw upon wirespring coils, of various diameters, supported by the lower clamping-jaw, substantially as described.

4. In a machine of the class described, 1n

combination, a supporting-frame, the shafts B H mounted therein, a cam-plate B fast on theshaft B and having an oval cam-groove B therein, a clamping-jaw and platen support C pivotally mounted, by the free end of one arm C to a bearing on the frame, and having the free end of its remaining arm C provided with a transversely-mounted rollerstud O projecting into engagement with the groove B in the cam-plate B a lower clamping-jaw D fast on the platen-support C, an upper clamping-j aw E, pivoted on the platensupport and adapted to cooperate with the lower clamping-jaw D, a knotter-pinion J, having a conical recess J in its outer end, a radial recess J in its inner end, a radial slot .1 therein, connecting the conical and radial recesses, and rotatably mounted in bearings in the frame, a sector-gear G fast on the shaft B, a gear-wheel I located between and meshing with the knotter-pinion J and sector-gear G, and a shaft carrying said sectorgear G,

substantially as described In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMIL A. HOEFER Witnesses:

F. W. HoEFER, JEssIn V. GHARET. 

